Man and Nature in Oral Folk Art

The relationship of humans to nature, animals, and plants is determined not only by their natural environment but also by the peculiarities of their economic structure.

Among the Kyrgyz, as is well known, the practice of nomadic animal husbandry was combined with hunting. Hunting was one of the important occupations for the Kyrgyz after their main activity of livestock breeding. Directly encountering the animal world, people in ancient times tried to comprehend the profound connections between humans and nature.

The spiritual wealth and heritage of the Kyrgyz people include epic works such as "Manas," "Er Teshstuk," "Kozhozhash," "Karagul Botom," and others.

The epic "Manas" is both the history of the people and their epic heritage. It represents an integral part of the national consciousness, a concept of their aesthetic and moral views. The original version dates back to the middle of the first millennium BC. This conclusion was reached by scholars A. P. Okladnikov, M. P. Gryaznov, S. V. Kiselev, G. N. Potanin, S. I. Rudenko, S. M. Abramzon, and Yu. S. Khudyakov based on the analysis of archaeological data, rock paintings, and the oral folk art of the Kyrgyz living in various regions of the world. According to French, Chinese, and West German researchers, the Kyrgyz live in more than 17 countries worldwide—from Arabia to Latin America.

According to Professor A. N. Bernshteyn, Academician V. M. Zhirmunsky, and M. A. Auezov, "Manas" has been widely known among Turkic-speaking peoples since the 9th century and is unparalleled in the world in terms of volume, unique in content, covering all aspects of the life and customs of the people.

The epic "Er Teshstuk" was created before "Manas." It depicts the friendship between humans and our lesser "brothers," emphasizing the close connection between human life and the lives of other living beings, from ants to the mythical bird Alp Kara Kush (literally, giant golden eagle).

In "Kozhozhash," a minor epic of the Kyrgyz people, the Kyrgyz land and the struggle of humans against hostile forces of nature are depicted.

The poem "Karagul Botom" is written in the form of a koshoq—a lament for the deceased. The poem is based on real events from the lives of Kyrgyz hunters.

It conveys, in particular, a very important idea about the careful attitude towards the environment and the preservation of all living things on earth.

In the poem "Kozhozhash," the intense work of thought and the human desire to understand the surrounding environment are reflected.

However, the limitations of their socio-historical practice and the development of means of knowledge, as already noted, led to the fact that the main form of generalizing knowledge for them became mythology with elements of mysticism.

Let us present an excerpt from "Kozhozhash," which shows one of the central events of the epic:

The hunter shot and brought it down,
Not leaving anyone alive,
All were killed.
Blood flowed like water,
Of the Ahlabash lineage.

The hunter shot it down
And left no one alive,
All were killed.
Blood flowed like water,
From the Ahlabash lineage.

Kozhozhash—a beloved folk hero—stands against the forces of nature, personified in the image of Surechki—the Gray Goat. The epic shows the contradictions in the struggle of man against nature. The hunter's victory is seen as a disaster not only for his victim.

The Gray Goat in the epic acts as a mythological image of nature. Thus, the epic conveys the idea that humans are the offspring of nature and belong to it. Disruption of the balance in nature leads to the extinction of various animal species. Many mythological images have been preserved in the memory of the people, for example: Cholpon-Ata—the elder, the patron of rams, Kambar-Ata—the patron of horses, Oysyl-Kara—the patron of camels, Zangi-Baba—the patron of cows, Baba-Dyikan—the patron of farmers, and others. Each time there was a mass death of livestock due to epidemics, the nomads would ask for help from the elder-patron. The people believed that excessive conscious destruction of crops and livestock (when they burned crops in the field or slaughtered a large number of livestock upon returning from a raid) could anger the patrons, and they would punish for it.

In folk works, the relationships of heroes with the animal world are often depicted. An example can be seen in the following excerpt from the epic "Er Teshstuk":

Going to Teshstuk,
The tiger has stuck a splinter in its leg.
As before, it cannot
Find food for itself.
Toshstuk pulled out the splinter.
Released the spoiled blood.
The powerful bear
Fell into a deep icy pit.
Trying to climb out,
It lost its claws.
If Toshstuk had not arrived,
It would have met its end.

Toshstuk approaches and sees,
That the tiger has stuck a splinter in its leg.
As before, it cannot
Find food for itself.
Toshstuk pulled out the splinter.
Released the spoiled blood.
The powerful bear
Fell into a deep icy pit.
Trying to climb out,
It lost its claws.
If Toshstuk had not arrived,
It would have met its end.

In the people, there is a proverb: "If you do good to someone, it will return to you twofold." In this same epic, there is an episode where the mythical bird All Kara Kush helps Toshstuk. With the help of a large winged friend, Toshstuk emerges from the ground alive and unharmed, returning to his people:

From the hands of the elders,
You have given me, my friend.
I will keep your words secret, my friend,
I will take care of everything, my friend,
I will take away all the troubles, my friend,
I will take you wherever you want, my friend.

The epic reflects the wise thought of the people that all living beings on earth are interconnected and depend on each other. It is known that some Kyrgyz clans were named after animals, for example, bughu—deer, bagysh—moose, etc.

Many legends that exist among the people reflect the relationships between humans and nature. Thus, the name of the wise elder Asan-Kaygy was widely known not only among the Kyrgyz but also among the neighboring Kazakh people.

The famous Kazakh scholar Chokan Valikhanov characterized Asan-Kaygy as "a famous nomadic philosopher in the people's memories." The basis of his philosophical reflections consists of thoughts about "the absence of any threat in nature and the preservation of overall harmony."

According to Asan-Kaygy, the cause of korqunchtyuluk—the threat to humans—is the loss of ethical norms, that is, mutual respect. The absence of this between people and nature leads to disharmony. According to the sage, to understand the world, it is necessary to care for all living beings, to value them, and to respect them—to pity all living things, to appreciate them, and to respect them. Humanism, without which there can be no harmony, means showing love for all living things, a careful attitude, and constant assistance to nature and the animal world from humans.

Asan-Kaygy called for the constant protection of nature, the animal, and plant world: "Every good deed done by a person is a great quality, while a bad deed is foolishness." He asserted that everything alive in nature is useful; there is nothing useless in it. "Do not touch the snake that does not harm and crawls its own way; let the snake that does not bite not die; let even the small insects and tiny living organisms live." We often do not pay much attention to the nature around us. But if we only look closely at it, we open up such an organic and complex world that it becomes clear that there is nothing superfluous in nature... Scientists, for example, have already proven the necessity of preserving snakes. It has long been confirmed that "medicines can be made from snakes"—strong-acting medicine can be prepared from snakes, etc.

Currently, there are 2,500 species of snakes in the world, and only 410 of them are venomous. In our country, there are 52 species of snakes, of which only 10 are venomous. In Kyrgyzstan, there are only 10 species of snakes, of which only 2 are venomous—the steppe viper and the horned viper. Now each of us knows what medicines are made from the dry venom of snakes ("Viprosal," "Viprosal V," "Vipraxin," etc.) and for the treatment of which specific diseases these medicines are used.

Dry venom is much more expensive than gold. If the price of an ounce (about 31 grams of gold) on the world market fluctuates between $400 and $500, one ounce of cobra venom costs $9,000, and that of the African boomslang snake costs $283,000.
However, in the consciousness of a large part of the people, the snake is something terrifying and unpleasant. Of course, snakes bring not only benefits but also harm, as bites from certain species of snakes are deadly to humans and livestock.